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OOTD: Quickie

I actually had a couple of posts lined up to run today -- we even went out and took pictures!  Outside!  Guess those will have to wait till tomorrow.

Here's today's outfit of the day to tide you over.  This is not my NYE outfit, but what I wore during the day:


Outfit Details: 
Top: Skirt as Dress bought at Farmer's Market in Portland, OR
Cardigan: Banana Republic Factory
Leggings: Macy's
Belt: Anthro
Boots: Anthro Pebbled and Primped Boots
Scarf: Macys
Socks: Happy Socks from Therapy
Necklace: Imparted Time from Hello Friend
Bag: Hobo International Touch Base

Happy New Years Eve everyone!  Hope you have a wonderful night, whether you're partying, staying home or somewhere in between.  See you next year!

OOTD: The Sum of the Parts

My closet is getting too full for its own good.  So I did a little closet purge.  I'm not sure if it actually helped, but it was an attempt -- now it's time for a trip to Goodwill/consignment shop/eBay.  Well, I'm not actually going to take a trip to eBay.  It sounds amazing though, what with all it's giant dimensional pocket of random things people don't want.  Oh right, deadpan doesn't come across as well in print.  Excuse me, I'm a touch tired.  How do you purge your closet?  And what do you do with your purged clothing?

Today's outfit is a little bit of new, a little bit of old and a whole lot of in between. 


Outfit Details:
Cardigan: Banana Republic (old)
Top: Urban Outfitters Kimchi & Blue (old)
Skirt: JCrew Petite Cord Pencil Skirt (buy it here)
Belt: Anthropologie Snakebite Belt
Shoes: Anthropologie Miss Albright Renesslaer T-Staps
Scarf: Anthropologie (old)
Necklace: Bought off vendor in Key West, FL




The cord skirt is soft and comfortable, and I think it's a really good option to look dressed up for work, but not feel stuffy.  And the belt? It's just the right width, it's stretchy and I wear it all the time.  Over dresses, shirts, skirs, sweaters, everything. All. The. Time.  I think I slept in it once.  Well, not really.  But I could, if I wanted to.  


These shoes are awesome.  I was looking for a good pair of T-straps for a while, and these have some great details.  You would think that the flowers would be obnoxious (I did), but in fact, they're not noticeable unless you take a really good look at someone's feet.  And why would you be staring at someone's feet anyway? Creeper.  Oh, and the heels are wood painted brown, so for someone like me who is notorious for ripping the covers off heels, it's great.  I don't know, I must lean against concrete curbs a lot or something.

In other news, I'm going to be doing a Style Challenge this weekend.  I'm thinking either exposed socks and open toed shoes or a scarf tucked into a belt.  Both seem a little strange to me, but are highly in fashion in the moment.  Preferences anybody?

New Year's Eve is tomorrow and I'm excited.  I'm ready to drink a little, play a little and sleep a little.  But first!  What to wear?!  I'll be posting some candidates soon. 

What are your plans? 

Thanks for stopping by!  See you tomorrow!

to look for: Me!? - Part 2

In a previous post, you learned what my goals for this blog are.  I'm still VERY excited about this site, even with a very minimal readership, which is great, because I'm hoping its an indicator of my dedication to this little project of mine.

This is an old picture of an outfit I wore months ago for another blog's reader outfit feature.  Just to break up the text ^_-. 
Outfit Details:
Tunic: Bought in a boutique in Chinatown (need to find that again)
Undershirt: Anthropologie Melting Cowlneck
Jeans: Anthro AG Stevie Crops
Boots: Chelsea Boots from Ambiance

Here are some of the features I'm hoping to work into this blog over time:

  • Outfit of the Day or OOTD: This will be my bread and butter, where I will be taking daily (!) pictures of myself and my outfits with hopefully amusing narrative.
  • What Does This Button Do!?: These posts will contain on-location photographs while my BF and I try to learn how to use our DLSR.  There will be mistakes and non-outfit photos, but the intent is to make them fun and relevant to the blog.
  • Style Challenge: I plan to take a hard-to-do trend and figure out how to incorporate it into one of my outfits.  Some examples are: Skirts with socks and heels, Scarves tucked into belts, Dresses as Tops, etc.  If this blog grows bigger, I would love to turn this into a reader-participation feature.  I would LOVE some suggestions!  Please post in comments. 
  • Fitting Room Reviews: These will be Anthro heavy, since I go there A LOT.
  • 30-second Outfit: Idea courtesy of my roommate, this feature will consist of an outfit pulled together in 30 seconds or less.  
  • Boutique Spotlight: Anytime I find a random, but awesome boutique, I will write a review on it.  Easy enough, right? 
I would love some suggestions or feedback!  Any other feature ideas? Expansions? Votes for the first round of Style Challenges?

Thanks for stopping by!  See ya tomorrow!

OOTD: Imposter

Today, I had a brilliant idea.  Wear a long blazer over my dress! It's polished, slightly unexpected and amazing.

Too bad I had that idea after I already came home from work.  It's true, readers, I only wore the dress, tights and boots outside the house today.  At least YOU get to see my brilliantly concocted outfit.  I even put on lipstain before the day was out.  Because I'm hard core.   


Outfit Details:
Blazer: Gap (old)
Dress: Zara (still on sale in stores!  See product details here.)
Tights: Banana Republic 
Boots: Ambiance (boutique in San Francisco) 
t-Necklace: Therapy (boutique in Mountain View) 
 

 Here's the dress without the blazer.  I guess I like to take at least one picture a day rolling my eyes.  


I know!  No Anthro in this outfit. But I love it.  The boots are actually not made of leather (gasp!), which means they are cheap, but are falling apart after 6 months of wear.  The buttons on the side actually fell off on the second wear and I had to replace them with buttons from Joann Fabrics.  Because I'm handy like that.

This last picture I had to show because we were trying some mirror pictures, and my BF looks like a creeper in this one.  I mean...he looks like one hot dude.  There's more to the shot where you can see my shoulder, but then you would also see our messy room with laundry drying on a the drying rack.  Yeah, you can't get into my business like that...yet.  Er, ever.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below :).

Thanks for stopping by!  See you tomorrow!

Anthropologie Fitting Room Reviews

Gooooood evening readers.  If you've been following, you know I posted my Anthro new arrival wishlist this morning.  Well, I managed to sneak over to Anthro to try some of them on.  It has nothing to do with the fact that my BF was working till 7:30, I promise.  Really.

In any case, see the reviews below.  For reference, I am 5'0", 123lbs and am typically inbetween sizes: 2/4 in dresses & skirts, XS/S in tops & cardigans, 26/27 in pants, 32C chest. 


I love love looooove the Pom Flower Shift ($158) by Tabitha.  I'm wearing a size 4 here and it fits like a dream. Hits at the knee, bright colors, still modest.  Fits TTS.  I imagine this can be dressed up with the right jewelry and shoes or dressed down.   
Diagnosis: Stalk hard core for sale.  If I'm reaaaally good the next couple months, possibly full price. 



 The Spliced Ikat Shift ($168) is by Coquille and is really pretty. I'm wearing a size 4 here and it was a little loose, so I would want to try a size 2 to compare.  Fits a little large.  If you're in between sizes, consider sizing down. Orange and blue are fantastic together, but it didn't make my heart sing.   
Diagnosis: Pass for me


 Edme and Esyllte brings the Walk With Me Dress ($148) to the table, and it reminds me of an edgier Little House on the Prairie dress.  I'm wearing a size 2 here.  It fits TTS, and the belt is of surprisingly sturdy material, but I have it on the last hole, which is disconcerting.  (What about when I eat a lot?).  I also have a hard time with sleeveless dresses, but thought this was cute online.  I could see this being worn with a shirt layered underneath for the rest of winter and then alone for the summer, but I can't see myself wearing it a whole lot.  
Diagnosis: Pass for me

 Now for the Make a Splash Cowlneck ($78) by Deletta in the Blue motif.  I'm wearing an extra small.  I tried this on in a couple of ways to give a little variety.  Currently I'm wearing the Shimmering Street Shorts (Sale, $49.95) with them above.  It fits TTS and is very cute, but is very flowy when untucked, so keep that in mind.  Diagnosis: Reconsider at sale, definitely buy at second cut.  

 This is the Make a Splash Cowlneck under a cardi and with a belt, and I must say, I quite love it.  I'm also wearing the Coin Purse Cardigan (generally sold out, so I actually brought it home..shhh) and a Taikonhu skirt who's name is unknown. 

 Finally, the Gathering Harvest Cardigan ($228) by Casch in the orange colorway.  I'm wearing a Small and it fits perfectly.  The color is fantastic and the boiled wool is soft and warm.  It feels super wind and cold resistant.  And the buttons!  There are so many ways to button them and the folds are brilliant and don't add bulk at all.  
Diagnosis: Greatly consider on sale, wait for second cuts if you have the willpower.



That's all folks!  What do you think?  I love feedback, and anything I can do to make these more helpful or better would help immensely.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you tomorrow!

Anthropologie Wish List

It's no secret to those that know me that I love the store Anthropologie.  Be sure to check out their sale for 25% off sale items -- it ends Jan 3rd!

There are also some new arrivals on the site, that I'm going to start stalking to go on sale.  My bright color senses are tingling, as you'll see from some of my picks. Check them out!


The Make a Splash Cowlneck is cute and versatile!   I wasn't sold on this until they did a 'wear it 3 ways' features on the Anthro website here.  Reviews aren't so hot, so maybe I can score this on a second cut.



Oh Pom Flower Shift, how pretty you are.  Yellow & Green?  My favoritest colors!  So many things you can do with this.  Throw a cardi over it, wear a long sleeve under it, belt it, wear it alone.


The Gathering Harvest Cardigan, previously the Best of the Bunch Cardigan, is something I've been stalking for ages.  I would have acquired it already if it wasn't for the price!  The buttons can be buttoned in so many different ways AND it's super warm.  It sold out almost instantaneously the first time around...maybe it will make it to sale this time?

And finally, the Macchiato Jumper.  I've recently been turned on to neutrals, thanks to Tien of Adiaphane and some other fashion bloggers.  This is sweet and lacy, but can be layered to be dressed down or waaay up. 

That's my short list!  Of course, trying things on is everything, so that will be the real test.  Anything you've got your eye on?

OOTD: As I Walk Through the Valley

Today, I woke up at 8:05am.  I'm usually at work by 8am.  Needless to say, it was an "Oh crap!" kind of morning.  My outfit wasn't quite this wrinkly this morning, but that's what button downs do when you sit all day.
This is a menswear inspired look, with two trusty articles of clothing I've had for years.  Wide leg trousers & a vest -- all I need now is a hat and I could be a gangster.  Well...maybe not.

 Outfit Details:
Vest: Nordstrom (it has pink pinstripes!)
Shirt: Anthropologie Daring Darts Blouse
Pants: Express Editor Pants
Shoes: Kenzie (bought off eBay)
Necklace: Imparting Time pocket watch from Hello Friend





I got the pocket watch for Christmas during a grab bag my friends and I have been doing for 14 years.  I got all into the Hello Friend Etsy shop from Carol and Kathryn on In Pursuit of Pretty Things.  I'm allergic to the nickel on most watches, so being able to tell time from a necklace? Brilliant!  Not to mention, with today's outfit, it makes me feel like a gentleman from the 1920s (is that the right decade?).

The shoes are a buy off eBay for a steal.   There are so many different materials on it, I can't tell whether it's incredibly easy or difficult to style,  but I love their quirkiness anyway!

Feedback welcome in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by, see ya tomorrow!

to look for: Me!?


A little about me:

I wanted to start this blog as a manner of introspection – I like to live my life through exploration, adventure and at the speed of light.  In many cases, this is a good thing, but it leaves little time to think about who I am and what defines me as a person.  Don’t worry, we’re not going to get into any philosophical mumbo-jumbo…well, not too much I hope. 

This is supposed to be a style blog (well, not so much a style blog as a blog about my personal developing style), so lets start there.  Through elementary and high school, I was a tomboy and dressed as such.  I was part of a crew (No! It wasn’t a gang! And no, not a JCrew crew.  Haha, I made a funny.), which was basically 6 goody-to-shoe girls trying to be cool.  Well, we WERE cool (We break-danced for goodness sake!), but the style at the time was baggy jeans (woo JNCOs!) and baby doll t-shirts – not exactly the makings of a young professional woman.  

In case you couldn't tell, that's me with the white bucket hat with the sunglasses.  I made that tank top myself.  Yep, so fashionable.

I stuck with this style for the majority of college (swap out the baggy jeans for flares and bootcuts) for comfort and convenience.  Not to mention I was poooooor and college was neither the time nor place for “fancy” clothes.  Oh, and an unfounded bias against skirts and dresses didn’t help the cause either.

Actually, this was taken last year.  But the point still stands.  Babydoll T and pants + Green chucks?  Shut up.  Leave me alone. 
 
In any case, I graduated from college and ultimately ignored fashion.  It was the stuff of magazines, fairy tales and fancy pants models.  Still, after a few years of being addicted to TLC’s What Not To Wear, graduating and finding a well-paying job (suckers!) to support a more high end lifestyle, I began to shop for higher quality clothing.  My move to the Bay Area lent a strong hipster influence to my newly developed style, which was often at odds with the minimalistic, tomboyish leanings of my past. 

I’ve had a lot of influences in my 27 years.  I’ve done a lot of traveling, and am heavily inspired by my Filipino heritage as well as the East Asian countries (which is one of my undergrad degrees) – Japan in particular.  My interests are all over the map – soccer, ultimate frisbee, snowboarding, shopping, reading, salsa dancing, eating, playing video games, reading comic books – sometimes I think I’m 3 different people living in the same body.   I mean, who is this nerdy, fashionable (in my head), athletic, slightly (completely?) crazy person?

 Nerdy: Oh yeah, I cosplayed.  This is Rocker Nana from Nana.  Don't know what cosplay is?  Don't ask, don't tell.
 Fashionable(?): Outfit Deets - UO Green Vest, Anthro Bow & Angle Belt, Antho shirt (old, circa 2009), Gap skinny jeans, SE Boutique Haley Flats


Athletic: Oh man, I love to ride.  I just got a new jacket and gloves this year and my current board is hecka sweeter (that's right ,hecka) than the one pictured, but that's for another post.

Crazy: And yup, I'm just plain craaaaazy.

But I digress  Let's get to the fun stuff (What! You weren't having fun already!? How dare you!).   Here are my goals for this blog:

-       Figure out which colors/cuts fit my body type: I’ve figured out a few of these and have gotten comfortable.  Perhaps TOO comfortable.  Don’t look at me like that!  I embrace change dammit!
-       Develop an archive of outfits:  There have been numerous occasions where I thought – that outfit is awesome!  And then…never wear it again.  This will be a way to capture what I’ve worn and how it looked on me.
-       Prove to myself that I don’t need to constantly shop to have a solid, mix & match closet of clothes:  This may be a delusion on my part.  But, I figure that the blog will keep me honest, and also will help me shop my own closet.
-       Develop a system for adding pieces to my closet: A blog archive will help me find the gaps in my wardrobe – and the unnecessary.  (I’m talking to YOU, frilly pink prom dress!)
-       Re-develop my writing skills: OMG, have they gone to heck in a handbasket.  I used to pride myself on my writing ability.  But, similar to when I took 2 years taking math and computer science courses, they are currently sorely lacking.  (What, you mean I can’t use grep to parse your dialogue so I only have to selectively listen?)
-       Capture memories! And finally, since I will be capturing bits of my life everyday, this will be a diary of my life as long as this blog is in existence. 

This is getting long, so it’ll be a 2-parter.  Stay tuned for the next part later in the week, where I’ll talk about this blog’s planned features!

What do you think?  Comment below!

Thanks for reading!  See ya tomorrow!

OOTD: Buttons & Ruffles

And so starts the first day of this blog that I have work and tried to take pictures.  It's so hard to take pictures when I come home after it gets dark!   Here's today's outfit of the day.  I love colored tights and I was going for a muted Christmas theme with moss tights and a wine colored 3/4 sleeve shirt.

 Outfit Details
Dress: Bought off Melrose in L.A.
Shirt: Anthropologie Melting Cowlneck
Tights: Gap
Boots: Anthropologie Pebbled & Primped Boots





That's right, I'm wearing sunglasses indoors.  What? I just want to fit in.  You'll be my friend...won't you?

I have to say that these boots are awesome.  They're a strange mix of gray, olive green and black, which means: a) Super unique! and b) they match everything!  My co-worker said they look galosh-inspired.  Plus, ruffles!

Be sure to check out the awesome print giveaway on Anthoholic!  The art is really pretty and very fashion forward ^_-.  

Thanks for dropping by, see ya tomorrow!

What Does This Button Do!?: Union Square and Yerba Buena Park


Welcome to the first edition of: What Does This Button Do?, where my BF and I try to hack our way through using our DSLR.  Currently neither of us has any training (other than reading on LifeHacker, but everyone knows that's cheating).  Today's feature takes place in downtown San Francisco, more specifically Union Square and Yerba Buena Park.  Hopefully in the future, we'll have actual goals, but for now we're just flying by the seat of our pants. 

 
There were a heck of a lot of balloon artists (is that a job?) out on the streets today.  My favorite was Spidey here -- he's got to be one of my favorite Marvel characters.  
My BF trying to be a fancy photographer.  I love the silhouette  of the sculpture against the gray sky.  Gotta love the fog in the city.

 Me and my BF at Union Square in front of the giant Xmas tree.  There was a skating rink at Union Square today and it was definitely 55 degrees out.  I'm from Chicago, so how they kept the rink solid was beyond me.  


A candid picture in front of the heart in Union Square, snapped when I wasn't looking.  I love all the colors in this.  On another note, I realized after we were done taking pictures that there was actually a painting of SF on the other side of the heart.  Oops.  Oh well, the back was just as pretty...right?

BF was having a fun time posing his action figures.  Unfortunately, we were having trouble with perspective, so it didn't come out as we thought it would.  This is the best one we had with the American flag in focus and the GI Joe blurred.

 
One more of the GI Joe for good measure.  


Then: it got dark.  And the fun begins!

 I <3 this picture.  He looks bad ass!

 Using the flash in the dark makes things in the foreground reeeeally bright...

This was taken without the flash utilizing the light from the lamp.  I really like it.

Oh right, and outfit details: Anthropologie Alice in Autumn Sweatercoat (navy), AG Stevie Cords (wine), H&M mock turtleneck (mustard), SE Boutique Haley flats (blue snakeskin), Michael Kors Purse (yellow), Oakley Breathless sunglasses (brown).
We took over a hundred pictures and only a few came out.  We were playing with shutter speed and  quickly realized that our hands were super shaky.  Advice would be super helpful!  Please comment :).

Add Note:  I've added this outfit to Clothed Much: Rule Breaking Monday.  See it here:


See you tomorrow!